You may or may not have realised, but Britain is gearing up for one of its most sport-filled summers of all time. Playing host to the London 2012 Olympic Games, the world’s finest athletes will be competing with the best that Britain has to offer in iconic venues across the capital. And who better to shed light on Team GB’s prospects at …

Nickque Patterson is setting the London fashion world alight- slowly but surely. As a stylist, DJ, designer and all-round fashionisto persona, Nickque is one of those people for whom every street is a real-life catwalk. Whether in front of the camera as a model or working behind the scenes orchestrating an edgy editorial, Patterson knows the trends and makes fashion happen.

Ever so fortunately, he was excited to be interviewed for Brandish and after the jump we have his full interview. Prepare for shoes described as ‘elite,’ Nickque’s self-decided role as the “Jesus of Fashion” and grooming-secrets (just check out the hair!)
We love him!

We were lucky enough to speak to Gert Jonkers recently, who, along with Jop van Bennekom head up the team at Fantastic Man. It’s no secret that we’re big FM fans at Brandish, and one look at the magazine’s clever art direction, witty articles and embedded fashion editorials will show you why. Nowhere else can you read about Beryl Woodsware crockery and Tom Ford in the same magazine so it was a real privilege to speak to Jonkers, stay tuned for part two of this interview tomorrow.

The Spring Summer issue of Numéro Homme is out, and for the non-francophones among us they kindly include an English translation of all the interviews at the back of the mag.

Philip Utz spoke to Alexander McQueen who, with typical forthrightness called Utz up on his interview skills, called fashion journalism a “thinly-veiled exercise in marketing” and then proclaimed that “the British Fashion Council doesn’t know what the fuck it’s doing.”

Hypebeast has posted an interview with Stan Smith, the face to one of the most popular tennis shoes of all times. The interview (by Eugene Kan) gives a little insight into Stan’s own background and how he broke into the world of professional tennis, as well as how the game has changed over the past 40 years. Smith also talks about his minimal involvement in the development of the Adidas trainer that has taken his name and his own surprise that the shoe has been in production for almost 40 years without hiatus. Oh and I mustn’t forget about the curious tale of why the shoe bares a moustache-less visage of Stan, that’s a real corker! (It’s not)

My-Wardrobe recently launched their menswear section, joining the ranks of online retailers making tracks in menswear. We had a chat with one half of their buying team, Lee Douros:

We’re really happy with all of the labels that have come on board for the SS09 season – they were all our top picks! One of must-haves are APC, the masters of Parisian understated cool, whose clothes will be sticking around in your wardrobe for seasons to come.

Buck magazine, new, hot and rarely far from the bloglines has given up some of their precious time to talk to Style Salvage about their onslaught on the world of fashion journalism. Steve Doyle (editor) and Elliott (James Sainsbury) fashion editor, talk about how they came to found the fledgling magazine, how the publication fits into the market and a day in the life of their commander and chief plus much much more. The interview shows what a brave step it is to set up a magazine, we’re rooting for them!

Over on the newly facelifted hypebeast.com is a slightly gushing but none the less interesting interview with Tommy O’Gara of Dita. Dita sit happily in the high end of the eyewear market making their name over the years for excellent craftsmanship rarely matched by other brands. Concentrating most of their efforts on the ever stylish Californian and Japanese consumers O’Gara describes the brand as having a “retro modern edge” which fits nicely into the current climate of retro style- definitely one to look out for.

New kid on the publishing block, Buck Magazine has a great interview with John Skelton the creative director of London based fashion website Oki-Ni. The Interview is in depth and covers the whole gamut of menswear and retail answering some burning questions for the consumer such as what Oki-Ni means in Japanese, Buck also gets John to pick his top products from Oki-Ni– some of which are pictured above.

Ever been curious to step into the mind of one of fashion’s designer geniuses? Be curious no more, as you can find out what makes Yves Saint Laurent creative director Stefano Pilati tick when he pops over to London next week to speak at the London College of Fashion.

Plaid runs through my veins and into my soul, for me there is little better in life than a good plaid shirt and a good plaid shirt means a cowboy shirt. Design Oberserver have ran a piece by Adam Levy on the inventor of the cowboy shirt (gasp!)Jack A. Weil. The piece is a good insight into both the cowboy shirt and the great late Jack A. Weil, possibly my new hero and is worth a read whether you rock the plaid or not.

I can’t wear hats -I look like the uncle you keep away from your kids- but you may be fortunate enough to not look like a total perv with something on your noggin. If this is the case then your not out of the woods yet because getting hat the suits you is a bit of a ruddy nightmare, luckily style.men.com is here to guide you through the minefield of millinery disasters.

As news of Benjamin Bixby continues to trickle out, Mr. 3000 is finally beginning to do interviews about the clothing line. American Esquire’s interview is far from in-depth (with a grand total of two questions) but it’s better than nothing. Check out the interview after the jump.

I’ve just caught up on the contents of the September 2008 issue of the newly Fabien Baron-designed Interview magazine (we featured Marc Jacob’s cover a few months back) and found these pictures of Stefano Pilati, the YSL designer and all-round sartorial inspiration.

I can’t even write about them except to just point out the obvious: they’re jaw-droppingly brilliant.

By the time he graduated from high school Alexander Och was in possession of an impressive collection of 300 ties. He started off life as a film student but when he gave out ties as a wrap present to the cast the requests from friends started coming in and he’s not looked back since.

Zoo Magazine has just released its ‘music’ issue with a set of four great covers. One sees Irina Lazareanu and Sean Lennon staring wide-eyes and iconicly-indie towards the camera. The second cover is just Irina, the third is Mick Jagger with a peek of 64-year old (yet washboard) stomach and the fourth stars Billy Idol.